Indecent Proposal

Starring: Robert Redford, Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson, Oliver Platt, Seymour Cassel, Billy Bob Thornton, Rip Taylor, Billy Connolly, Joel Brooks
Directed by: Adrian Lyne
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Romance
1993

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A billionaire (Robert Redford) offers a couple (Demi Moore, Woody Harrelson) $1 million for one night with the wife.

Review:

Tim: I really believe Indecent Proposal gets bad wrap. Sure, it's not nearly as good as it could have been and it does botch the opportunity to really explore some of the deepest tenets of humanity, but it does kind of work as a fun, pulpy romantic drama. The film was incredibly popular in 1993- at $106 million, it was the 6th highest grossing film of the year. With that popularity probably comes a lot of the backlash aimed at the film.

The basic idea is pretty fascinating- you have a couple who is madly in love but have hit dire financial straits. They are desperate and need money. Along comes a charismatic billionaire who offers them $1 million for one night with the wife. Wow, the opportunities to explore here are nearly endless. While on the surface, it seems like a no brainer to say no- why would ordinary people take that offer? But, thinking about these characters and their reality, it starts to become a more difficult decision. Think of the ways a million dollars could transform their lives. It's only one night and it's doesn't mean anything. You can immediately see how the rationalization starts. It's that idea of short-term pain for long-term gain. Of course, we understand that "short-term" is relative and the impacts of something like this are further reaching than we might have expected. Still, it's kind of fun to be able to sit back safe and sound and watch this drama unfold on screen.

With a bad cast, this movie would have been terrible. However, the cast is very strong. Woody Harrelson and Demi Moore were wonderfully cast as the married couple. They had strong chemistry and seemed at least somewhat approachable and relatable. I'm sure a lot of couples around the country could imagine themselves in their shoes. Harrelson definitely gives a stronger performance than Moore, although both worked well. I also loved the casting of Robert Redford as the billionaire. He certainly has the charisma and charm needed to pull the role off. Plus, I'm sure it didn't hurt for thousands of women moviegoers to imagine Redford paying them a million bucks for one night. It was a great casting decision and I thought Redford delivered a good performance instead of phoning it in, which would have been very easy to do. I also loved seeing Oliver Platt in a smaller supporting role. As a whole, the cast was very strong.

The movie does end up being a little too predictable. That's one of the damning flaws against it. However, the journey was still fun. The lead up to The Night was quite well done. I enjoyed the back-and-forth debate about whether or not to go through with it. I loved the changing minds and hearts of Harrelson and Moore. I really liked the portrayal by Redford of a billionaire who isn't necessarily a bad guy, but knows what he wants and has no problems spending any amount of money to get it. Yes, the whole thing is a bit melodramatic, but that doesn't mean it's not fun.

My biggest complaint is that in telling a predictable story, Indecent Proposal misses out on the opportunity to really mine the story and characters. What would something like this do to a relationship? How would the wife react afterwards? How would the husband react? How would their memory of it change over time? Yes, the film attempts to tackle these issues, but it could have done so much more. It rushes through these scenes to get back to the predictable. It would have been nice to explore the human interactions more.

So, yes, Indecent Proposal has its flaws and shortcomings. Even with those, the film has so much going for it. It might not be a great flick, but it's an entertaining two hours. There is a reason this film was so popular in 1993 and it's worth checking out this solid movie.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



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